thinking about getting a UPS

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twitchee2

Platinum Member
Dec 29, 2004
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i have ZERO idea on what to look for. i need to power my comp, monitors, extermal divicees, printer and thats about it. how many watts do i need. what is a VA rating?

comp specs
ocz 520w
ultra-d
3 HDD
800xl
usual

thanks for the help. buget is <~$100
 
Safeway

Safeway

Lifer
Jun 22, 2004
12,081
9
81
All you need to do is look at the time/number of components connected. You really just need a monitor, CPU, etc. connected to it and most will give an estimate of the backup period. If you need to to save and shutdown, a cheaper one is okay. If you want it to span the entire period, you better have money.
 
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Blain

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
23,643
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The higher the VA rating the longer it will keep your stuff running.
The higher the Joule rating the better it will protect your stuff from surges.
 
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twitchee2

Platinum Member
Dec 29, 2004
2,135
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Originally posted by: Blain
The higher the VA rating the longer it will keep your stuff running.
The higher the Joule rating the better it will protect your stuff from surges.
Click to expand...

waht are good ratings for each of those?
 
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Blain

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
23,643
3
81
From the UPS units I've looked at, I'm sold on the Tripp-Lite Internet Office 750.
I don't use my UPS for extended power outages. Basically I use them to keep my incoming power "clean" and provide some backup time for shut down.

The IO 750 has a good balance of 750VA... 1170 joule protection... for less than $75 shipped. :D
 
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ProviaFan

Lifer
Mar 17, 2001
14,993
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I went with this Belkin 1100VA model for US$125.74 shipped, and can't find anything to complain about. APC is supposedly the king of UPSes, but they're the most expensive option by far. You may "get what you pay for" to a degree, but I can't imagine that the little extra that one gets, plus the APC name, is worth the premium that they charge - at least for those of us with a lowly home workstation or desktop system.
 
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isekii

Lifer
Mar 16, 2001
28,578
3
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I have APC 725VA for like 20 bucks after rebate or something at officedepot a while back.

2005FPW
Dell 8400 with bunch of components
Cable Modem

= about 10-15min
 
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imported_Phil

Diamond Member
Feb 10, 2001
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Originally posted by: ProviaFan
I went with this Belkin 1100VA model for US$125.74 shipped, and can't find anything to complain about. APC is supposedly the king of UPSes, but they're the most expensive option by far. You may "get what you pay for" to a degree, but I can't imagine that the little extra that one gets, plus the APC name, is worth the premium that they charge - at least for those of us with a lowly home workstation or desktop system.
Click to expand...

... but for servers, they're great :thumbsup:
I'm installing three rackmount 2200VA APCs on Friday, one for each new server. They weigh a ton.
 
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ProviaFan

Lifer
Mar 17, 2001
14,993
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Originally posted by: Phil
... but for servers, they're great :thumbsup:
I'm installing three rackmount 2200VA APCs on Friday, one for each new server. They weigh a ton.
Click to expand...
I'm sure they are, and I'd have one if the decent-sized ones didn't cost more than half as much as my entire computer (before the X2 upgrade, that is). ;)
 
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crimson117

Platinum Member
Aug 25, 2001
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Originally posted by: isekii
I have APC 725VA for like 20 bucks after rebate or something at officedepot a while back.

2005FPW
Dell 8400 with bunch of components
Cable Modem

= about 10-15min
Click to expand...

Ditto, this is a great UPS.

APC 725VA UPS @ newegg

OP, good call getting a UPS. You'll appreciate the purchase the first time all the lights in your house go out but your computer stays on :)

However, you should NOT power your printer with a UPS. It eats power when operating and is not a critical component. The only things you should hook into battery power are your computer, your cable modem/router, and your monitor.
 
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Vegito

Diamond Member
Oct 16, 1999
8,329
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I got a apc 1500 to share between my 2 desktop, 1 has dual lcd and 1 has single.. It's good for about 45 min to fully drain..

also got a 3000 rm for the rack at home, powers switch, router and ap for a good 4-5 hours.. those don't take much
 
jdogg707

jdogg707

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2002
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I just bought this one from Belkin. 1250VA, 1000 Joules, 8 Outlets, AVR, and SNMP Capable. If you go to your favorite coupon site, you'll be able to find a Friends of Belkin coupon code that still works as of this posting to get 50% off pretty much any item on their website. I walked out with this sucker for $110.00 Shipped Next Day Air. Awesome unit and highly recommended!
 
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Navid

Diamond Member
Jul 26, 2004
5,053
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0
Originally posted by: twitchee2
i have ZERO idea on what to look for. i need to power my comp, monitors, extermal divicees, printer and thats about it. how many watts do i need. what is a VA rating?
Click to expand...

A UPS should be used only in order to power down the computer gracefully if you are not around. If you plan to use a UPS to power your system for a long period of time, you should be prepared to spent a ton!

If you intend to use it for what it is meant for, you should only power your PC and the monitor with its battery backed outlets.

You first need to figure out how much power your PC and monitor consume. You can find out the power consumption of your monitor in the monitor users manual. It is in Watts.
Figuring how much power your PC needs is tricky. If you have power meter unit ($30.00), you are done. If you don't, find out the power consumption of each of the PC components. You can find out how much power your CPU consumes by looking at the manufacturer web site. The same with the hard drives. There are rough estimates of how much power different graphics cards consume.

Add up the power of all the components in your PC. Multiply that by 1.3 to give it some margin for the non-100% efficiency of your PSU. That is how much power your PC consumes.

Add up the power consumption of your monitor and the power consumption of your PC.
When you shop for a UPS, you have to get one that can support this power. This has nothing to do with the run time. This is how much power the UPS inverter can deliver without getting damaged (overload).

You also see a VA figure on the UPS. You can use that also. But, then you have to calculate the VA rating of your monitor and the PC. You can do that too. But, real power in Watts is easier.

The other parameter you need to consider is the run time. The run time has to do with the capacity of the battery inside the UPS. The best way to do that is to find a run time chart for the UPS that you are considering. For example, this is a chart for some of the APC UPS devices. It tells you that if you load a BE500U with 50 Watts, 100 Watts, 200 Watts or 300 Watts, it will run for 57, 26, 9, or 4 minutes respectively.

I would make sure that the unit can handle the power I need. I would make sure that the unit can run for at least 1 minute. The battery ages. After a year, the run time drops. I only need half a minute.

But, you have to make sure that the unit meets the run time as well as the maximum power capability. One is not enough.
 
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imported_NoGodForMe

Senior member
May 3, 2004
452
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0
I have a code for the APC factory store because I just bought a replacement battery. When you buy a UPS, you are really buying a battery. It's ok to buy a refurbished UPS, because it just means someone turned it in to upgrade to a bigger model. The refurbs come with a new battery.

Go here
http://promo.apc.com

Enter code y568y

Backup UPS-PRO is their best models, I have the 1400VA which runs two computers, router, and ADSL modem. I can be playing a game, power goes off, comes back on, and I'm right where I was.
The 1400VA would probably be overkill for 1 computer, check out the 650VA for $99.
 
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